Field of the Disclosure
The present invention relates generally to methods for selecting an item a user intends to purchase from a list of one or more items previously purchased by the user. In particular, examples of the present invention are related to techniques for generating a list of frequently purchased items based on a purchase history of a user and transmitting the generated list of frequently purchased items to a computing device corresponding to the user.
Background
Modern technology offers today's consumers a wide range of tools for interacting in the marketplace. Using computing devices, e.g., smart phones, tablets or stationary devices, consumers have access to a wide range of information and a broad array of shopping tools for purchasing anything from electronic devices to simple groceries from retailers. The consumer may select various items intended to be purchased using the computing device based on previously purchased items from past orders by the consumer.
It is known, for example, to allow the consumer to add items the consumer purchased from previous orders to a current order, e.g., the consumer may select a button displayed upon the computing device to add items previously purchased to an electronic shopping cart corresponding to the user. For instance, an item a consumer intends to purchase during a current order can be selected by retrieving the item from a previous order at which the item was previously purchased. One drawback of adding items from previous orders is that the consumer must undertake a navigation process to individually view each previous order to see if that order contains the item the user intends to purchase. This navigation process can include selecting multiple graphical elements corresponding to each previous order to view the items purchased therein. However, if the item the user intends to purchase is not included within the previous order the user has selected, the user must navigate back to select another previous order to see if that order contains the item the consumer intends to purchase. This can be a hassle for the user to remember which previous order includes the item the consumer is searching for.
It is further known, for example, for consumers to access a database maintained by a retailer to view every item the consumer has previously purchased. For example, this database can be accessed by the consumer through a user input selecting a “favorites” icon displayed upon a computing device through use of an application furnished by the retailer or a website furnished by the retailer. The user may select an item the user intends to purchase during a current order by locating the item as one of the previously purchased items in the database. One drawback of selecting the item the consumer intends to purchase from the database is that some of the items are included from purchases that may have occurred years ago and some of the items may have only been purchased a single time in the past. In other words, locating previously purchased items in a database can be an inconvenient undertaking due to the database being cluttered by items that are not frequently purchased and/or are no longer frequently purchased.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding components throughout the several views of the drawings. Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present invention.